Daredevil – Director’s Cut (2003/Blu-ray/20th Century Fox)
Picture: B Sound: A- Extras: C+ Film: C+
Though
somewhat forgotten and often derided since its release a few years ago, Mark
Steven Johnson’s Daredevil (2003) was
one of the better adaptations of a Marvel Superhero to the big screen and
later, he proved he knew enough of what he was doing to make the also-derided Ghost Rider (2007) that it became a
bigger hit. However, it is Daredevil finally making its way to
Blu-ray and was his last big hit before Gigli
began his current losing streak. This
was a hit and he was decent in it. Maybe
Elektra turning out so, so bad and
such an outright bomb is the reason.
We
previously reviewed the film on DVD, which you can read about at this link for
the Theatrical Cut DVD:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/329/Daredevil+(Theatrical+Cut)
To recap,
we learn the origins and identity of the blind superhero who can see sonically
thanks to a radiation accident and in the world of Marvel Comics, nuclear
radiation does not kill you, it makes you stronger and gives you
superpowers. He takes on both Wilson
Fisk aka The Kingpin (Michael Clark Duncan) and Bullseye (a very amusing Colin
Farrell) while meeting his possible match in Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner)
and this longer version simply plays better with a half-hour of more footage.
It also
has some similarities to the Batman world, though not as much since Dark Knight arrived, but it was a solid
one-shot film that worked on its own and is likely never to see a sequel. Either way, like The Hulk, this is one
franchise they should not restart.
Sometimes it is nice to have a self-contained single franchise film and at
its longer length, Daredevil will
eventually have revisionist opinion in its favor, though many fans will be down
on Affleck no matter what he does.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital AVC @ 20 MBPS High Definition image was shot in Super 35mm
film by Director of Photography Ericson Core, who later shot the underrated Invincible (also an underrated Blu-ray,
reviewed elsewhere on this site) but this disc does not look quite as good as
that or the 35mm prints I saw of this film when first released. It is still good, but 20 MBPS might be too
low and by including al the extras on one Blu-ray that were on the DVDs, may
have compromised the image quality. This
is a little softer than expected, with depth and color limits it did not
originally have. Fortunately, the DTS HD
Master Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 mix is as dynamic as it ever was with a fine
integrated use of surrounds, well-recorded dialogue, good music and is far
superior to the Dolby Digital 5.1 options (including English) on this version.
Extras are
the same as the most deluxe DVD editions including an audio commentary by
Johnson and Producer Avi Arad, still galleries, trailers, several featurettes
(some dubbed documentaries), an HBO tie-in special and screen tests. Overall, this is a Blu worth getting if you
like the movie and like great sound.
For more
on Johnson’s Ghost Rider Blu-ray,
try this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5607/Ghost+Rider+-+Extended+Cut+(Blu
- Nicholas Sheffo
